It has been three years since the Texas Rangers won their first World Series and since then, they have failed to post a winning record, let alone get back to the playoffs. 

The Rangers finished the 2026 season with an 80-82 record, which was still good enough to finish second in an American League West Division landscape that provided a great opportunity to be seized. 

However, the Rangers' in-state rivals, the Houston Astros, won the division and punched their ticket to October with an 81-81 record, while Texas had to pack it up for the fall and winter months. 

The Rangers have not been the same since winning the World Series, and there is plenty they will have to do in order to get back to the playoffs. Let's identify two things that must happen for this organization to snap the skid it finds itself in at this time.

Despite some areas where it needs to improve and a couple of poor performers, the Rangers' starting rotation wasn't bad. 

Texas' starting group finished the season with the No. 9 ranking among the 30 Major League Baseball teams in strikeouts (808), WHIP (1.26) and opponent batting average (.242). 

When it came to the bullpen, though, the Rangers struggled. In terms of ERA, the Texas bullpen finished with the eighth-highest mark at 4.47. It also finished 25th in strikeouts (529), and opposing hitters thrived against it, posting a .256 batting average, which put the Rangers 24th among the 30 teams. 

At the end of the day, successful organizations need a strong group of relievers to put games away, and Texas does not have that right now. 

Key players from the World Series team are getting older, and it is beginning to show. 

Stars such as Corey Seager, Jacob DeGrom and Nathan Eovaldi have all shown their age through injuries and varying declines in their play. For DeGrom, who is 38 years old, his career is much closer to the end than the beginning, and Seager underwent elbow surgery after an injury-riddled season.

Therefore, it is time for the younger players to step up, but not all of them have. For instance, the Rangers could have used a lot more from 26-year-old right-hander Kumar Rocker, but he stumbled to a 6-11 finish through 30 games (27 starts) with a 4.38 ERA in 2026. 

With those kinds of numbers, he is showing that he is not reliable. He is not the only one.

Outfielder Wyatt Langford, 24, also struggled this season, and his numbers were down as a result. In September, when Texas needed Langford the most, he was abysmal at the plate, posting a .185 batting average, a .337 on-base percentage, a .309 slugging percentage and a .646 OPS in 24 games.

The Rangers may not be able to fix all their problems at once, but if they could get more from their younger players while addressing the bullpen, they could begin to get back on track.